Mine-car coupling



June 30', 1925. 1,544,203

A. J. BALDWIN MINE CAR COUPLING Filed April 26, 192 2. Sheets-sheetINVENTOE 2Q A. J Baldwbw,

Ar a/a NE v.

June 30, '1925. 1,544,203

A. J. BALDWIN MI NE CAR COUPLING Filed April 26, l923 3 Sheets-Sheet 2INVENTO/E A. J lialdwb'ib,

firms/aver Patented June 30, 1 925.

DREW :J. 'BALIDWINfQF EEIKEKZIL'IZE, JIENEUGKY.

:mnE-oAR cournme.

I Applicationfiled Apri1'26, 19.23. Serialfllio. 351,789.

Couplings, of whichthe followingis a: speci fication.

The object of the invention is to provide a device of the kindabovementioned that will Apermitthe couplingofvmine cars irrespective ofwhich end of thecar faces-the car to Whichtit isto lbe coupledgrtoprovide a coupling which Will reduce to aininimuin, when in-coupledposition, the.,play or lost motion between cars which results inspillingcoal .at the sides of the track; ,to provide a coupling member havingmeans vinsuring its v-alignment with vthe coupling member 2 withWhich-.itlis tobeengaged; to provide a coupling structure which willpermituthe coupling of cars on .a curve .or when the cars are disposedat a vslight angle ;to each other such asisithe case in mines wheretheltracks arewnot always regular and straight; and to providetacoupling which may Ybereadily disengaged when desired and vwhich isinsured maintaining its coupling relationirrespective of the vibrationor \bouncing of. the cars by which the :members are carried.

With these general objects in view the invention consists in-a certainconstruction and combination ofparts of which a preferred embodiment isillustrated .vvithout defining the limits of :the invention.

In the accompanying ,drawings Figure -1 is a\side elevational "viewof:the adjacent-extremities of two mine carsushowing the application ofthe invention thereto and" in;coupled;position.

Figure .2 fisa top plan viewsof the :structure "of Figure .-1. V

Figure 3 is a, top plan view-of the structure -of Figure v1 but.showingJthecars disposed at an angle toillustrate the manner in whichthe coupling members are aligned in such ,positions of the cars.

Figure :4 isva. longitudinal sectional'view on .thellineHof-Figure .2. r

Figure '5 is a perspective View of one of the (coupling members. I

-Figure 6 is a perspective view of the, guide for the rear end of'thespringmloy whichithe coupling -.'men1beris zretained in positionlongitudinally-ofitheicar.

'Figure 7 is'qa perspective ,vie'WQof the bumper plate or memberjbyWhihtlle, -CQ lP- ling .-,is '-shi'fte'd .angularly as in .couplingoperations-oncurves. l

1 The [application of the invention HQCQISSitat-es. the use .inconnection with ,a; n1ine..- car 1 of an end sil'I'Qtheforwar'd edgeofhich is of arcuateocontourin p-lan sonsto pro vide an arcuatefforwardedgetmnsversely of the car. draft. bar constitutes the-,dra;ft:e1ement1by which. the car, is qmovedithrough a coupling member 13Which'isInountedfjon the upper end o'fcagpivo't pin' 4, the coupling meniberhaving a bifurcated, rear end fto provide spacedle'gs' 5 "disposed ,onopposite. Sides of the ,1 upper end 'oitjthe pin A the {head of which issquare 0 as ,i-ndicated ,;at 6 and a transverse,;pin 1 7 pas'singthrough the legs'fi and a head 6 and providing a pivotal mounting .forthe coupling solfthatwthe latter may swing a vertical plane, thepin 117bein formed with .1 a square :orv hexagonal fhead; at one end andreceiving-rat the other ,en'dgga cotter,,pin"'8 by Whichthe pin isretainedeini position.

'jDisposedibelow thecOupling meniberfigis the .ibumper plate 9 which .iscross IseCtiQnallyutangular or "Leshaped, the verticall .;flang'e 9oveiihangingthe front face oilthe sil1j2 and ,the .fhoriz ontaliflange.9Vfbeirig4triangular' in. plan and formed :nearthe apex of the trianglewith a square ,eyefni which .Jihe squarelheadfi .ofnthe 131114 seats.The p'in 4 passes vertically through thegsill 2111 an opening in. whichit, is; loosely 1 mounted for pivotal movement v,in a horizontal plane.Thus the bumperplatemay ,swing iwith the axis of the pin 4: :asa centerzandf'because of theerounded forward; edge ,of jthe ,sill;2 ;fbut anyswinging oreangular movement of the bumperplate is attained; with a-.co,rr es pon d-- ing angularmovement-of:thecoupling member sincethere, is a positive connection betweenathe two, .duev to. the head '6,:so far: any relative angular ,movement int-affhorizontal plane isconcerned. Therefore,'.[i f two cars 3 being iooup'led are disposed on.-a curve or ;at .an ,angle as in :Figurefi, their respective bumpergplateswill contact at :the end {and because of the pi-votal mountingofthetwo'willbe moved gradually into parallelisnrandsubsequenbcontactduring vwhich 'interval- ;the :coupling operation is effected,

sinceieachecouplen at the freeendjis formed 7 with a tapered nose 10 andan intermediate neck portion, 11 which define a rearwardly and laterallyextending hook member'12. Since the coupling members at each end of thecar are alike they are oppositely disposed at opposite ends of the carand connecting coupling members have the noses 10 disposed in oppositerelation as well-as the hook members 12 and the inclined facesconnecting the terminals of the noses with the terminals of the hookmembers constitute camming surfaces by which relative running movementof the coupling members is effected inthe coupling operation, until thehook member of each engages in the throat defined by theneck and hookmember of the otherL' Q f Obviously in the application of a draft to thecoupling asin the movement of cars, the couplinglmay swing laterally toaccom- -modate curves in'the track or irregularities 'in the same,'the'bumper plates moving with the coupling members. When it desired touncouple,"it'is only necessary to move'the cars to'bring the bumperplates into contact when'the looseness of engagement between thevcoupling members'will be sufficient 'to permit either one being swung upto its pivotal connection with the pin 7 to disengageit from the other.V f The coupling member is limited in pivotal movement downward to ahorizontal positionby contact with the upper flange 9 of the bumperplate and the latter also functions to prevent'the disengagement of thecouplings due to vibration of the connected ends of thecars, sincethe'nose of each overlaps the bumper plate of theother and should theend of one car 'besubject to an oscillation, moving'its'end sill to ahigher plane than that of the following car, it will engage the nose ofthe coupling member of the following car and raise that with it.'.Thus"the coupling members are insured of being held in engaged relationdespite the usualoscillation of the cars due to irregularities inthe'track. Y

"The invention also contemplates the use of means to hold the couplingmembers normally longitudinally disposed of the. carsto which they areattached'and to-this end a flat spring bar 14 is employed, its forwardend being engagedin a'slot formed in the lower end of the pin 4. Thespringbar is retained in engagement with the pin L by a transverse pin15 extended transversely through" the pin 4: and crossing the slot inthe latter and pivotally engaging the spring bar, this pin 15. receivingcotter pins 16 by which it is removably held in place. A take up collaror washer 17 is interposed between'the spring bar and the lower face'ofthe end sill 2. The spring bar"is"d esigned to be held in a positionlongitudinally of the car and to thisend a U-shapedguide-IS is provided,the arms of which are formed with slots slidably receiving the rear endof the spring bar'and the web being pivotally connected with a buttonhead bolt 19, the shank of which extends through the draw bar-'20 of thecar and receives interior to the car a retaining nut 21. Obviouslyswinging movement imparted to the coupler by the rocking of the bumperplate Will result in flexing thespring bar but the latter at its rearend being 'slidably mounted in the guide 18 and the latter being pivotedto the bolt 19, this flexing results without the application of anytensile stress to the spring coupling member formed with a nose andwitha hook-element rearwardly of the nose, a pivotal mounting for thecoupling member to permit swinging movement in a horizontal plane, and abumper plate connected with said pivotal mounting for pivotalmovement"corresponding with the coupling member, the bumper plate beingdisposed adjacent the hook element of 'thecoupling member so that thenoseof a connected coupling member may overlap the plate to precludedisengagement "of the hook members of connected coupling members uponrelative movement in a vertical plane of the connected ends of coupledcars.

2. A mine car coupling comprising in combination'with a mine carhaving asill, a pivot pin carried by said sill and having angular orturningmovement therein, a coupler secured to the upper end of said pin, aspring bar secured to the lower end of said pin and disposedlongitudinally ofthe car, a guide carrying the remote end of said springbar, and a bumper plate angular or L-shaped in cross section having oneflange overhanging the forward edge of the sill and the other flangepositively connected with saidpin forpivotal movement in a, horizontalplane with the axis of the pin as'a pivot. 7

' 3. A coupling consisting of complemental members of which'eachcomprises a'bu'mper plate pivotally mounted and yieldingly held in aposition transverse to the car on which it is mounted, and a hookedcoupling member mounted on the bumper plate and pivoted for movement ina plane perpendicular to said bumper plate, said hooked coupling memberbeing 9 limited in downward movement to a horizontalplane. a

4. A coupling consisting of complemental members of which each comprisesa bumper plate piimtally mounted and yieldingly held ment to ahorizontal plane, and having a in a position transverse to the car onwhich nose portion overhanging the bumper plate it is mounted, and ahooked coupling memof the complemental member When the 10 her mounted onthe bumper plate and pivhooks of the two are in coupling relation.

oted for movement in a plane perpendicular In testimony whereof heaffixes his sigto said bumper plate, said hooked coupling nature.

member being limited in downward move- ANDREW J. BALDWIN.

